East Jordan Plastics to Pay $460,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

DETROIT – East Jordan Plastics, Inc., a manufacturer of plastic horticultural containers, will pay $460,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the suit, a class of female employees at the manufacturer’s Beaverton, Michigan location was sexually harassed by a male co-worker, whose conduct included offensive sexual comments and inappropriate touching. Despite being made aware of the harassment through at least two complaints from different women, the company took no disciplinary action against the harasser. The suit alleged that the harassing conduct continued until yet another female employee complained; following this complaint, the company finally conducted interviews and terminated the male employee.

“We applaud East Jordan Plastics for working with us promptly to reach a settlement,” said EEOC Indianapolis Regional Attorney Kenneth Bird. “This early resolution demonstrates a commitment to achieving a harassment-free workplace.”

The company’s alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. East Jordan Plastics, Case No. 2:25-cv-12302) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Under the consent decree resolving the lawsuit, East Jordan Plastics will pay $460,000 in monetary relief as well as injunctive and affirmative relief. The three-year decree requires the company to provide anti-harassment training, provide annual reports to the EEOC regarding its handling of any complaints of sex harassment, and post a notice about the settlement and employees’ rights under federal law.

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.